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Obama calls Pelosi amid debt talks

President Obama called House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Sunday as lawmakers are attempting to reach a deal to avert a default on the U.S. debt, the White House said.

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Obama and Pelosi “discussed the way forward on the pressing fiscal matters facing Congress today,” the White House said.

The Democratic leaders agreed on the necessity of a “clean” bill to hike the U.S. debt limit, which the Treasury Department has said the federal government will reach on Thursday, according to a White House statement about the call.

“This afternoon the president spoke with Leader Pelosi over the phone,” the White House said. “The President and Leader Pelosi discussed the way forward on the pressing fiscal matters facing Congress today. They reinforced that there must be a clean debt limit increase that allows us to pay the bills we have incurred and avoid default, and that the House needs to pass the clean continuing resolution to open up the government and end the shutdown that is hurting middle class families and businesses across the country.”

The White House said Obama and Pelosi agreed that they should not negotiate with Republicans on budget issues until the GOP agrees to reopen the government and prevent a first-ever default on federal bills.

“The president and the leader also discussed their willingness, once the debt limit is raised and the government reopened, to negotiate on a longer term budget solution that will grow our economy and create jobs,” the White House said. “The president also thanked Leader Pelosi for her efforts to move forward with a clean CR and a one-year clean debt limit increase that would prevent a first-ever default of our nation's credit.”